ULYSSES CLUB WAIKATO BRANCH. May Newsletter. Branch Committee

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1 ULYSSES CLUB WAIKATO BRANCH May Newsletter Ulysses Club Waikato Branch meets 7.30pm at the Waikato Commerce Club 197 Collingwood Street, Hamilton on the first Monday of the month except January. Visitors Welcome. Evening Meals available from 6.30 pm except Public Holidays. Waikato Ulysses website: This Newsletter plus other information is available on this website. Branch Committee Coordinator Rowena Smith Phone: Mobile: waikato@ulysses.org.nz Secretary Athol Thompson P: M: E: athol.thompson@hcc.govt.nz Committee: Mark Empson P: M: Glen Proctor P: M: E: shrek36@orcon.net.nz Vice-Coordinator Phil McKinnon Phone: Mobile: phil_sharon@clear.net.nz Treasurer Bruce Nelson P: M: E: bruce.nelson@icfrith.co.nz Committee: Lawrence Gosnell (Goose) P: M: E: g.cd@xtra.co.nz John Turkington (Turk) P: M: E: peglers@orcon.net.nz Sheriff Mick Aldred P: M: E: mick@eznet.co.nz Quartermaster Anthony Mol-Krijnan P: M: E: penant68@gmail.com Newsletter Editor David Coy P: E: dcoy41@gmail.com

2 BRANCH AGM MONDAY 4 MAY Nominations for Committee Coordinator: Phil McKinnon #7645 Vice Coordinator: Lawrence Gosnell #8430 Secretary: Athol Thompson #7807 Treasurer: Rowena Smith #6890 Committee: Mark Empson #7028 Mick Aldred #7633 Anthony Mol-Krijnen #7634 Glen Proctor #8558 Waikato Branch Activities, May & June 2015 DATE DESTINATION MEET TIME IN CHARGE 1-3 May Gisborne weekend Cambridge BP 9.30am Alan / Phil Mon-4-May Branch AGM Commerce Club 7.30pm Committee Sun-10-May Mother's Day Ride - Rotorua ( Bring your mother, mother of your children or grandchildren for Lakeside ) Cambridge BP 10am David Sun-17-May Poker Run Commerce Club 9am Goose / Phil Sun-24-May Kart Racing (min 8 people, $40 each) Airport Kart track 1pm Phil Sat-30-May Auckland bike shops Rototuna BP 9.30am Jim Mon-1-June Club Night Commerce Club 7.30pm Committee Sun-7 June Bus Stop café, Mangakino Te A, Caltex 10.30am Shrek Sun-14 June Mt Maunganui Hot Pools (bring your togs) Rototuna BP 10am David Sun-21-June Flat White café, Waihi Beach Hillcrest Caltex 10am Jim Sat-27-June Accident Scene Training (TBC) Commerce Club All day Goose Contacts: David Lou Footrot (Anthony) Mark Goose (Lawrence) Phil Jim Shrek (Glen)

3 TOY RUN REVAMP? Significant changes are being considered for the 2016 Toy Run & beyond. The Toy Run is the major annual event of the Waikato Branch and reached its 30 th anniversary this year. Originally, the Toy Run finished at the Hospital, then in the 1990s it moved to the old Claudelands Showground and more recently, Garden Place. However, the administrative bureaucracy has become a real headache for organisers who have to deal with three roading authorities (Waipa DC, Waikato DC & NZTA), traffic plans, Police, Hamilton City Council and other health & safety matters. In addition, over the past decade the number of participants in the Toy Run has halved from over 1,000 in the 1990s to closer to 500 nowadays. At the April Branch Meeting two alternatives were presented. Wayne Weka Green suggested a change to Selwyn Park, Te Awamutu as the destination. This would have the major advantage of simplifying the administration since only one local authority (Waipa DC) would be involved and a State Highway would not be used. Initial soundings indicate strong support from Waipa DC and clubs such as Lions to provide ancillary services (food, drink etc). Alan Thoresen & Ken McGeady (Waikato Classic Bikes) advised that next year the Frankton Business Community is making a big effort to put Frankton on the Map. As part of this initiative, on the first weekend in March an event to be called Frankton Thunder will be held. This event will be run over the whole weekend and will include cars and bikes, vintage, classic and modern and will involve a series of related events, displays, stalls, presentations, etc. Ulysses Club is invited to run the Toy Run as usual on the Sunday morning but terminate at the large paved area in Frankton by the railway. Ulysses would be responsible for the organisation until the procession reaches Frankton, at which point road closures, security, parking, refreshments, audio etc will be the responsibility of Frankton Thunder. Of necessity, both presentations gave an overview outline, and more detailed proposals will be made to the Branch Committee later which will decide; Coordinator Row reminded members that a third option is no change. David, April 2015 Man goes to Doctor for results of recent tests. Doctor says Bad news, you have only 24 hours to live. When he goes to bed that night asks wife for sex; she agrees. He can t sleep and a couple of hours later asks for more sex; she agrees. Wife sleeps soundly but still he can t sleep and soon realises has only three hours to go. Gently, taps wife on shoulder, wakes her and enquires about more sex. NO WAY, she says, IT S ALRIGHT FOR YOU, BUT I HAVE TO GET UP IN THE MORNING!! 3

4 We read the story in the March Ulyssian; and at the April meeting we had the real deal. Bill Attwood brought along his restored 1970 Kawasaki 500cc HI two-stroke, triple cylinder. What a great piece of workmanship, he gave us more detail about the history of the Widowmaker series and the trials and tribulations of putting this one back together. Pretty special. 4

5 Kapiti Coast branch member, James Farnan (centre above) rode his Honda Hornet from Waikanae to the Tauranga AGM in seriously rough weather. James has just turned 88, and was disappointed to discover that he wasn t the oldest to ride to the AGM. That honour went to our Tom who passed that milestone over six months ago. Youngster, 86 year old John de Lautour of Taupo (right) joined them for the snap. Simply terrific, they are still riding. Think about it, anyone joining Ulysses today who can match this will qualify for a 50 year membership badge in 2065!! Seems a long way off now, but 1984 seemed a long way off to me in the 1950s when Orwell s book was circulating; now it s history. John O Farrell describes eighteen miserable years in the life of a UK Labour supporter, in his book, Things can only get Better. He reflects on his efforts canvassing at a by-election in 1987, in South West London (p.126). Fulham is what they call socially crunchy, which means that it has very rich people with very poor people living nearby to clean their houses in the daytime and burgle them at night. INTRODUCING: Pieter Smit #9164 On my way to the Toy Run last year, I stopped by at River Road Farmer s Market and when I returned to my parked bike I got chatting to a South African guy on crutches. He was interested in my bike and explained that he was a biker too, which, in view of his supports, looked and sounded a bit odd. I told him I was on my way to Cambridge for the Toy Run, and he said he would come and join us after taking the car home. And so it was. Piet pitched up on his BMW rig, and has been a regular on the Thursday lunch rides ever since. Piet had polio as a two-year old in South Africa but this hasn t stopped him leading a very active sporting life. You ll immediately notice his broad shoulders, big chest and thick arms and then won t be too surprised that he was a top gymnast as a youngster. He has done paragliding he can t run to get off the ground, someone has to launch him off a cliff. He s had many bikes over the years, sidecar rigs, and currently runs a R1200 GS BMW. A favourite trip is to go camping at Port Jackson, top of the Coromandel. He s also a keen surfer, and represented South Africa (a Springbok, no less) at With Charmaine on the 1922 Matchless at a Vintage Rally near Durban in

6 paddle surfing, not the disabled team BUT the fully-fledged able bodied team. Remarkable. He came to NZ in 2008 with wife Charmaine to join his two sons who arrived a few years earlier. A clockmaker by trade and keen on antiques. A trip round Australia is on his to do list. Welcome to Ulysses, Piet. GILLY S VIEW The current BMW R1200 GS rig 6

7 ADVENTURE 1: Ducking & Diving on the TT2000, 2015 by Jim Galt #5991 The website with details of this year s TT2000 was up and running last July with advice to make a coffee and then spend a couple of hours working through. This year s version had a twist, as always, there was both a Northern and a Southern start and never the twain shall meet until the end in Christchurch. Also, the starting time was changed to 12 noon on the penultimate Friday in February, not 6 pm, with the finish at 12 noon on the Sunday in Christchurch. Like last year you worked out your own route to cover 2,000 kms and pre-set photo checkpoints worth a total of 50,000 points. The Northern start was in Whanganui, the southern in Dunedin. My plan, which changed a couple of times was to start in Whanganui, visit three checkpoints within 100 kms of Whanganui before heading up SH4 to Taumaranui then across to finish for Friday night at Turangi, having done about 550 kms. For the Saturday an early start was anticipated and then was down for a tour around Southern Hawke s Bay and back over the Napier Taihape Road then down to Wellington to visit a few checkpoints in that vicinity then catching the Bluebridge ferry which has cabins available on early morning sailings. If you arrive for the Bluebridge before 11 pm you can board at just after 11 pm and sleep your way across the Strait. On arriving at Picton it would be off the boat and down to Christchurch to finish before 12 noon on Sunday. Everything went smoothly and much as planned a good part of the fun of these events is in the planning and anticipation, and so it proved. Minor mishaps were forgetting to take my ferry tie downs (I was rescued en route by Turangi Coordinator, Steve McLardy who lent me his for the weekend) and missing one or two low value checkpoints. For riding in NZ a GPS is OTT most of the time, but for an event like the TT2000 it s invaluable. On Friday I covered 560 kms, starting in Quick snap at Mangaweka checkpoint no time for a coffee in the DC3 Whanganui at 12 noon and finished in Turangi around 8pm, having collected 19,500 TT points, after visits to Makakaho Junction, Field s Track, Top o the Bruce, Piriaka Lookout, Tokaanu Hot Pools and sundry other spots. On Saturday I was on the road at 5.40 am heading along Napier-Taupo Road for Hawke s Bay, back along Gentle-Annie to Taihape, then down to Wellington area for the Bluebridge ferry at 11pm. Big day, 1,060 kms and 31,000 TT points. Checkpoints included Te Mata Peak, Omakere, Ormondville, The Old Bridge over the Rangitikei River, Mangaweka Int Airport, Turakirae Head, Eastbourne and a dozen others including the spot in Hawke s Bay with the longest placename in NZ. Near Porangahau in Hawke's Bay is an unassuming hill known as "Taumata whakatangi hangakoauau o tamatea turi pukakapiki maunga horo nuku pokai whenua kitanatahu", which translates into English as "the place where Tamatea, the man with the big knees, who slid, climbed and swallowed mountains, known as 'landeater',... 7

8 The $30 for a cabin on the 2.20am ferry was good value and the solid sleep set me up well for the final three checkpoints, and some heavy rain down the east coast into the finish in Chch before 12 noon. The TT2000 is not for everyone, but I enjoy the challenge. Jim Galt #5991 Final mystery checkpoint the sheep statue at Waikari ADVENTURE 2: AUSTRALIAN ULYSSES 2015 AGM by David Coy #4412 Before Christmas, a guy I met at the 2014 Alice Springs AGM sent an offering me his spare bike (Yamaha Diversion 900cc) if I wanted to go to the 2015 AGM at Albury Wodonga (Victoria). Too good to refuse so, in mid-march, off I went. We spent a week riding 1,800 kms along the Victorian coast and through the hills on the Great Alpine Road for a journey that is only 400 kms direct from his home in Geelong. Changed my mind about Australian roads for bikies. On previous trips I ve ended up doing long long stretches on straight, desolate roads, Nullabor, Stuart Highway to Darwin, East Queensland to Cairns etc. Tedious. These Victorian roads along the coast and through the hills match anything we have in NZ (almost). Main difference was that the 8

9 backdrop was eucalyptus and brown or yellow compared with pines and deep green most of the year in NZ. Australian bakeries are highly recommended even for a nonmeat eater; most days we ended up at bakeries for morning and afternoon tea and lunch as well as the odd breakfast; watch that waistline. Disappointing for organisers, only 2,700 at the AGM, most of them camping at the racecourse. Only 300 at our Tauranga AGM but we may have higher per capita representation. Sunday after the AGM was day of the cricket final in Melbourne, so we left at crack of dawn with temps about 5C to be in time to watch the match on TV at home in Geelong; no more to be said about that. I was a bit nervous about the trip before leaving, worried that I may have bitten off too much. But everything worked out, the bike didn t miss a beat, and my pal Josh and I got on well both on and off the bikes. I ve persuaded him to come to NZ next year for our AGM in Westport. Registration for the AGM was at the Wodonga Netball Centre. Reminder for over-enthusiastic parents. David Coy #4412 The Murray River, about 100 kms above Albury NSW probably more water now following recent rains. David Coy #4412 9

10 ADVENTURE 3: Southern Escapade by Roger Green, #6962 Over dinner one night in August 2014 at Anthony (Footrot) and Pennie s place we discussed the South Island and they mentioned they d never been and would love to go. Vicki and I had been down to the Bert Munro at Invercargill for two weeks on the Harley in 2013, so we were keen to go again and ride some different roads. We all convened a couple of weeks later with our proposed itineraries and a plan was developed. We booked the ferries, we agreed on the route and places to stay and we would wait closer to departure to book motels. Footrot s not sleeping, he s like a kid on Christmas day, too excited and we are still three months away from going. Both bikes, their Triumph Storm and our Honda Goldwing needed new tyres as we expect to do over 4,000 kms in two weeks. About three months from departure we decided to book a couple of Motels, one being Te Anau as its out on a limb and we intended leaving Queenstown early then drop our gear at a Motel then go out to Milford Sound. Pennie rang a couple of Motels to find they were fully booked as it was Chinese New Year and panic started to set in as the South Island was flooded with tourists. I normally set a route on these trips and then let the weather and my mood determine the distance I travel each day. On a beautiful day in the South Island on our last trip Vic and I travelled over 800ks, another day we might stay put. We clearly couldn t do this this time so we divided up the number of Motels and each couple spent the night booking accommodation. Pennie and Anthony were busy ringing around different Motels looking for the best deals and me (lazy arse) phoned the Bella Vista Motel chain and booked those locations on my list. It became a standard joke where to next, oh yeah Roger booked it, look for a Bella Vista. Our ferry crossing was on Friday the 6 th February and we decided to leave work early on Thursday and ride down to Taihape which would give us a leisurely ride into Wellington the next day. We had a great ride to Taihape picking up a couple of the answers to questions on the Northern Odyssey challenge. We cruised down to Levin (Vic s home town) the next day and she wanted to visit her Mum s grave as she had only passed away a few months earlier. We arrived at the cemetery took our riding gear off as it was a lovely warm sunny day. Footrot mentioned that he needed a pee and as it was quite a distance to walk I offered to take him on the Goldwing. I fired her up and steadied myself for a slightly bigger guy to climb aboard. That wasn t so bad I thought as we moved off but I could tell the all up weight from two heavy weights was going to affect my cornering ability so I ended up riding out of the cemetery (no helmets) and onto the road to turn around. We finally arrived at the toilets and I again braced myself for Footrot s departure when all this weight came on my left leg and stayed there. What the F@$k are you doing I said, I 10 At an inconvenient break, almost joined mother-in-law down to earth in Cemetery, and they hadn t even reached the Ferry.

11 can t get my leg over the seat I m stuck he said. Get back in the middle my legs killing me I m going to drop the bike if you stay out there like some guy on a trapeze on a vault. Finally after what seemed like 10 minutes of pain he was back in the middle of the bike and with the pain subsiding we started to laugh. We must look funny, two tossers trying to get a pillion off the bike. My leg spasms have now subsided and I am now ready for another attempt, so we hatch a plan, when I say go I shall be ready just do what you have too ANTHONY but get off my bike. It worked he was off, he visited to toilet and he walked back to the Goldwing. I looked at him hoping I already knew the answer but I had to ask do you want a ride back, no bloody way he replied I ll walk, we were both relieved and I rode back to the girls. Pennie took a photo of us on the bike (not good) it looks like the Goldwing is a twin air bag model with both airbags already inflated. Off to the ferry about 15 bikes crossing over, not happy with how I ve tied the Goldwing down expect to see damage at the other side as there were big swells heading to Picton. Arrive at Picton about 5pm and relief to see both bikes are fine and we ride through to Blenheim. Next day, easy ride to Christchurch. It s now Sunday and we are heading to Akaroa for lunch then to our Motel in Ashburton. The ride to Akaroa is great, nice bends with a good clean road surface the only danger is other bikes that use it as a race track. We saw some ridiculous riding with sports bikes passing on blind corners as they tried to outdo each other. We saw one casualty as he had his bike on the side stand and was seen walking up the road picking up bits of his bike from the road. It was again a fantastic day in fact we only had rain once in the whole two weeks and Pennie savours South Island seaside that only lasted three hours. Lunch was at the Akaroa Lighthouse looking over the bay. We then decided to head to Ashburton and our Motel. This Motel was fairly new, Pennie s booking so not a Bella Vista and it was to be the best value for money place we were to stay in. It was a hot summer s day so I suggested we have a swim in the motel s pool. I put my speedos on (no just joking, don t throw up) I mean togs on and I got in to the pool, I was soon joined by Vicki. Anthony arrived asked was the water warm to which we replied it s a little cold to be honest. He took a couple of steps back away from the pool and then ran and sort of leapt into the air and dived in, next we heard a loud thud coming from the bottom of the pool, hope it s not an earthquake I thought. Anthony came up to the top with a big red lump on his head, I just hit the fu@#n bottom he said. We were all trying not to laugh but it was funny, I thought you guys were standing up but now I realise you are all kneeling in the pool. Yes Anthony it s only 1.5 metres deep not designed for a leap in the air with a back flip and three half pikes, the Olympic pool is back in Christchurch. Monday and we are off to Queenstown approx. 400k ride today. We had two days at Queenstown in an average Motel. Again every Motel showed no vacancy signs. We saw quite a few people 11

12 calling in to our motel only to be turned away. Wednesday off to Te Anau only 200ks so we plan to drop our gear and go to Milford Sound. On arriving at the Motel (Bella Vista) the owner told us to be careful as they had had 5 serious accidents in the last 7 days, with two of those being helicopter rescues and it s only a 119k stretch of road. We gassed our bikes up as there is no fuel between Te Anau and Milford and we cautiously headed to Milford Sound. Take your insect repellent if you go to Milford the mosquitoes will fly off with your lunch there s thousands of them. It was a good picturesque ride with a couple of stupid incidents. We come around a corner to find a car parked in the middle of the road on a bend with the driver taking a photo out the window lucky we were riding slow. I followed a car for about 5ks, the driver got a fright when a bus came around the corner (bus on correct side of road) the car driver swerved off to the side, caught some loose metal and started snaking down the road, I backed off waited for the driver to gain control then just sat well back till he pulled over, probably to turn his undies inside out so the skid mark was on the outside. Got back to Te Anau and had a romantic picnic dinner at the edge of the lake. No candles or girly music was present but we did let the girls use the newspaper as a napkin when they d finished their fish and chips. I know, I m getting soft in my old age. Te Anau to Wanaka 226ks was an easy 3hrs ride today. We took the top road up through Cadrona capturing a few nice photo s looking back on Queenstown. The Wanaka accommodation brochure said lake views and I was expecting to have to stand on Vic s shoulders just to get a glimpse of the water but how wrong I was. Thanks Pennie, good find, the unit had wonderful views of the lake and it was only a 2 minute walk to town, perfect. Wanaka to Hokitika, 420ks & 5hrs riding. Our first week has gone and the trip is everything we hoped it would be. As we got to each overnight destination we used Footrot s GPS to find our Motel, as mine kept cutting out. It soon became clear something was wrong with his GPS as we travelled up and down back roads when our unit was only one street over it was later discovered that it was set to not go on main roads. Sunday, Hokitika to Hanmer Springs. I enjoyed this ride I hadn t been on these roads for over 10 years and it s a nice part of the country. The girls had mentioned many months earlier that the 14 th Feb was Valentine s Day and they wanted to be wined and dined while at Hanmer Springs. Sure Anthony and I said, let s start with a swim in the hot pools then back to the Motel to relax then you can put on your face and good gear and we can go out for a flash meal, no expense spared. It was agreed by all parties but it didn t quite work out that way. We talked the Motel owner into giving us a ride into town as it was a reasonable distance and we would use the Restaurant s Mini Bus to get a ride home. Welcome break for Roger, Vicki & the Wing 12

13 He dropped us off at the Restaurant and recommended two places, we chose one and ordered our meal, it was crap. We enquired about the mini bus, but discovered the other restaurant has one but you have to order a meal. Don t worry girls I said I have a cunning plan, let s sneak into the restaurant order dessert and catch their mini bus home. We walked in and we didn t bother with the receptionist, we found a table and sat down for a settling period until we were just another group in there. After about 10 minutes I said I will go and order dessert then coffees then we will organise the mini bus home. I went up to the counter and said I was wondering if I can order our desserts now, sure the lady said what table are you on, um well I don t recall my table number but I would like dessert please. What did you have for your main meal she asked so I can look up your table number, I knew this was not going to end well so I had to confess we were just there for a dessert. Sorry she said we are too busy we can t make you guys just a desert with no meal. I walked back to the table wondering how to break the bad news to the girls, they had got dressed up, had a crap meal and now no dessert. I arrived at the table and said this place is noisy and it s not romantic enough for you girls, you deserve better let s walk home and we ll stop at the dairy on the way and I ll buy us all a big ice cream. They said it s cold and a bloody long way back to the Motel, I know I said but if we walk fast we might get home before dark and you can have choc dip and peanuts on your ice cream, I m struggling to believe my own bullshit at this stage but it seems to be working as they get up and walk out of the restaurant. We stop at the dairy buy the icecreams and walk back to the motel, turn on the heaters and try to thaw out. Hanmer to Greymouth, the next day for a night stay at a Bella Vista then Greymouth to Nelson for a four day rest before heading to Picton and then start heading home. Nelson was a good break with a day trip to Abel Tasman National Park. We parked the bike up some days and walked around Nelson. Then it was up for an early start breakfast at Havelock then off to the ferry at Picton. This was a smooth crossing and we arrived in Wellington about 4.30 and then rode up to Taihape. Taihape to home was another good ride. Conclusion. Great fortnight away, plenty of laughs with fantastic company. The Triumph and Goldwing have similar power so we cruised and passed with ease and set a good pace. We initially thought we would have to set our daily distances to cater for Footrot s sore foot but that wasn t to be the case. Our biggest day was nearly 500ks which he handled with no problems at all. This was my ninth South Island trip on six different bikes. Suzuki GSX 1100, fastest I ve ever been on a bike, too embarrassed now to say exactly how fast two up. Suzuki 1200 Bandit, nice bike but had to watch distances between tank full s only 200k range. Honda ST1100, smooth easy ride great distances on tank. Honda ST1300, 4x trips, fantastic bike. Harley Davidson Electra Glide, The most comfortable of them all, shame about no power, lack of corner speed and stopping ability but I still see why people love them and I would consider owning a new one. Honda Goldwing 1800, designed for two up cruising, does everything well, crank out 800ks two up and get off feeling fresh, not everyone s choice but that s why there s so many makes, models and styles to suit everyone s needs. 13

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15 Thursday Freedom Rides Every Thursday, in association with Whakatane Branch, there is a casual ride to a café in Waikato / Bay of Plenty for lunch. The venue is decided at the weekend before and details are circulated by to those on the Group List. Usually about arrive for lunch, and 4 8 riders depart from cycle track lay-by at junction of Wairere Drive & Cambridge Road, Ham East at 10am. In April, we have been to the Rhubarb Café (Arapuni), Friends café (Taupo), Flippn Bear Pancake cafe (Waihi Beach) Kaimai café (SH29), this Thursday (30 April). If you want to be on the circulation list advise David Coy of your address (either by to: dcoy41@gmail.com or TXT to: ). 15

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